Overtoun – The Dog Suicide Bridge

Overtoun – The Dog Suicide Bridge

In the last fifty or so year it’s believed that 50 dogs have jumped to their deaths off this mysterious bridge in Scotland.

Located near Dumbarton, Scotland on the Overtoun Estate, the bridge is a popular landmark of the locals, but is it haunted by a dog hating ghost?

The ghost of lady Overtoun is said to be haunting the manor house and was captured in a photo as she looked out over the bridge from the homes bay window.

Also known as the ‘White Lady’, Lady Overtoun is said be wandered the manor’s bridge grief stricken after the death of her husband.

Her husband, Baron Overtoun, was a millionaire and some believe he took to the dark side of Satan and was known to dabbled in alchemy.

Paul Owen, 51, has written a book on the Overtoun Bridge, and said “When Baron Overtoun, who built the bridge, died in 1908, Lady Overtoun, was said to have wandered the bridge grief stricken for years.”

“It is thought by some to be her presences that lingers in this location.”

Mr Owens is a philosophy and religion teacher in Glasgow, and he said that people who have walked the bridge have described going from being happy one minute to going into a deep depression the next.

It not just dogs who have died there, local man Kevin Moy, threw his baby son to his death of the bridge in 1994. And later he tried to kill himself at the same spot.

“He was found to be mentally ill, but I know a lot of local people believe the bridge has some mystic powers,” Paul said.

He goes on to say, “A lot of people have experienced a strange presence on the bridge itself and many have seen ghosts around the estate.”

“I had a very strange experience when I was researching my book and taking photographs of the estate. I was standing on the bridge when I felt a phantom finger jab me in the back twice.”

“It felt like I was on a train platform and somebody was trying to push me off it was very scary.”

Alice Trevorrow, 50, was taking her springer spaniel, Cassie, for a walk across the bridge last year when the dog suddenly jumped over a railing onto the ground below.

Alice said, “I will never forget the awful whine she made as she leapt. My heart just dropped. I have no idea how she survived, the bridge is so high. I was almost certain that she had died.”

Alice describes how Cassie raced over to the bridge saying that as soon she got out of their car the dog looked left as though she had seen something.

Then Cassie jumped off the 50ft high part of the bridge, something Alice said was “so uncharacteristic, she has never done anything like that before.”

The springer spaniel escaped serious injured, but around other 50 dogs are believed to have died leaping from the bridge.

Professor Peter Neville from the department of animal sciences at Ohio University was called in by the Scottish SPCA to investigate said that it was ‘highly unlikely’ that the dogs were deliberately jumping to their deaths.

He believes that the odor from male minks could be luring the dogs to their deaths. He said dogs live in the present, so ‘are unable to contemplate the future and how they will be feeling’, and make plans accordingly.

Professor Neville added, “Of course dogs do get depressed, but they aren’t capable of being suicidal.”